


Only the Moon Howls

by InternetCannibal



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: DipFord - Freeform, Ford gets a knot, How Do I Tag, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Uncle/Nephew Incest, Werewolves, dubcon, gay sex probably, gore in later chapters, lycanthropy, no sex yet, not abo, the knot is unrelated I swear, well okay not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-04 14:05:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18606055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InternetCannibal/pseuds/InternetCannibal
Summary: This is my first posted work.





	1. Waxing Crescent

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted work.

Dipper holds up the list in his hand and contemplates it, sucking lightly on a pen as he looks it over. He wants to make sure he's got everything, make sure that he's fully prepared for what's out there. Because there is usually a lot that could go wrong on trips like this one.

"Okay, I have bug spray and bear-mace and several baggies of sandwiches, snacks and my journal, several pens, a flashlight, a dog whistle in case we run into any gnomes..."  
He rambles on and Mabel, who was leaning on the sales counter next to him rolls her brown eyes. "Oh my godddd Dipper, you've gone over that list like six times in the last hour! Why can't you just pack clothes and a book of spooky ghost stories and have fun? That's what me and Grunkle Stan are going to do!" She sits up and tips her head. "Okay, maybe not the really spooky ones," she admits, then looks towards the shop door as it jingles. Speak of the devil...  
Stan Pines walks in, wearing sunglasses and a big grin. "Hey, kiddos, ready for the best camping trip of your lives?"

Mabel and Dipper exchange excited looks and then nod in tandem. "You bet!"  
Mabel throws her arms up. "I'm going to make friends with a bear!"

Stan laughs and shakes his head. "If anyone could, it'd be you, sweetie. Have you seen Ford? He's supposed to help me pack the RV, and I haven’t seen him all morning."

Dipper stuffs his list in his pocket and perks up. "I'll go check the basement!"  
Mabel rolls her eyes again. "Nerds of a feather flock together!"  
Dipper pulls on the flaps of his hat embarrassedly, heading towards the vending machine. "Ha, ha, Mabel."  
He's about to input the code, when it hisses and slides open, revealing Stanford Pines blinking down at him. "Oh, Hello."  
He's holding a rucksack in hand, which looks like it's about to burst at the seams. Dipper blinks back. "That's a lot of stuff...are you bringing all of that on our trip?"

Ford chuckles softly and places his hand on the teenager's shoulder. "You should always be prepared in Gravity Falls, Dipper. And I mean for anything."

Stan pokes his head into the room.  
"Hey, Poindexter, you agreed to help pack the RV, did you forget?" He laughs. "And I thought I had a faulty memory! Get out here, I want to be done and on our way before lunch!"  
And then he disappears again.  
Ford sighs. "Still as bossy as ever… Alright, Stanley, I'm coming," he calls to his twin, looking back at Dipper and smiling. "I'm glad you're coming on this trip with me, Dipper.” He pauses a moment, then continues. “It's going to be something really special."

Dipper laughs nervously. "I'm excited. I mean nervous. I mean..."

That makes his great uncle laugh and he pats his shoulder again. "Attaboy, Dipper, that's the spirit. Eager and excited for the unknown is the best thing to feel when embarking on an adventure. Now excuse me, I have to go help my brother before he starts using language inappropriate for children."  
And he moves off, leaving Dipper to follow at a distance, feeling light on his feet.

Mabel has a knowing look on her face when he reappears. "You still idolize him, huh?"  
He blinks and turns a little pink. "No! Well...." He falters at her expression and caves. "Yes, I do, he's done so many cool things... I really want to be more like him... and I want to be… as confident as him someday."  
She frowns, coming out from the counter and fixing his hat for him. "Listen Bro-bro, and listen good. You're plenty confident, and you're only going to get more as you grow! We're teenagers now, the learning curve is wild."  
Dipper gives her a little grateful smile. "When did you get so self-aware?”

Mabel shrugs. "Since I almost caused Armageddon. No big deal." She flashes him a grin. "I want you to have fun this weekend, and stop obsessing about impressing Ford! You're perfect the way you are and I know he can see that too. You got nothing to prove!"

She squishes his hat down over his eyes and laughs. "Now come on, I need help picking some epic camping outfits!"  
Dipper squawks in fake indignation, but when Mabel leads him by the sleeve through the shack and up the stairs, he doesn’t protest.

\-----  
Stan takes one look at his brother's backpack and frowns critically.  
"That's 'lotta stuff for three days, Sixer. What are you planning?"  
Ford shrugs and closes the Stanmobile's trunk. "Like I said I'm taking Dipper a little farther in. I know he's been dying for a real research trip... We're going to study Plaidypi in their natural habitat," He announces, and Stan makes a face. "Right, monster stuff. You better keep an eye on him then and keep him out of trouble, or his parents will lose their minds."  
"Cryptid stuff, Stanley. They're cryptids. And yes, I will."  
His expression gets more somber and his voice gets quieter. "I'm surprised they let the kids come back, after..."

Stan and Ford lapse into silence, remembering. They had to tell Dipper and Mabel's parents something as to why their children came back after that summer with diagnosable traumatic stress and horrific night terrors… so they told them the truth. It was the worst several hours of their lives, but they had been.. surprisingly understanding. It had been a stroke of luck both men were sure would never strike again, but then after a year, Wirt and Celeste had offered them the chance to see their great nephew and niece again, and here they were.

"We're going to have a fun, wholesome, harmless camping trip," Stan says finally. "Right?"  
Ford nods, and only after a second of hesitation, echoes him. "Right."

"We're going caaaaaampiiiing!" Mabel squeals, running the length of the RV before plopping down onto a seat and scooting over to the window. "This is so exciting!"  
Dipper laughs and joins her on the other side of the table. "I mean the Shack is in the woods, Mabel, we're camping the whole summer."  
She shakes her head energetically. "No, No, this is different, this is real camping, with tents and stuff! I've never done THAT!"

"Everyone aboard?" Ford peeks his head in and then smiles at Mabel and Dipper. "I hope you have a great time with the spot I picked." His eyes twinkle with a spirited light and then he takes a seat where he can direct Stan.  
And then as the RV rumbles to life and pulls away, they're off.

Dipper and Mabel play various classic and entirely made up road-trip games while Stan and Ford chat in the front seat and the radio plays the latest hits. Mabel has a lot more fun with it then her twin.

"Yellow car! 5 points!"  
"Oh come on!"  
"Nope, it counts! Five points to Mabel! Woot woot!”

The trip itself was only about two hours into the woods, with Ford directing the way. "Turn left on that road, Stan-"  
"That? That's a dirt path, that's barely a road!"  
"Stanley..."  
Stan laughs and turns onto the road. It had been a good few months since they had last quarreled but he still enjoyed playing around.  
When they reach the camping spot, a clearing with a firepit and a bunch of log benches and a stream burbling nearby, he parks the RV and Mabel throws the doors open and gasps, stars practically glittering in her eyes. "I'M GOING TO CATCH SO MANY FISH!" She runs off towards the stream and Dipper follows, looking around appreciatively at the space and the scenery.  
"Hey, you two, don't go too far, you gotta help with setting up the tents!"  
Stanley huffs and drops the full cooler he was lugging out of the back of the RV down on the ground.  
Ford descends the stairs carrying tent bags. "Don't worry, Stan, I've got the tents."

He proceeds to lay them all out in a row and then start to put them together without another word. Stan rolls his eyes at the almost methodical way his brother was constructing the frames and moves to one of the logs, looking over at where Mabel is already knee deep in the sparkling water, watching the fish and Dipper is walking across the rocks to the little island in the middle. He relaxes, and then turns to the firepit, fishing a lighter out from his pocket and flicking it a few times.  
There's a splash and a yell and when he looks over again, Mabel has fallen and is sitting in the stream, while Dipper busts a gut laughing. This is the life, he finds himself thinking. With all the strangeness in the world, and especially Gravity Falls, he was glad to have moments like these, a family like this. He looks over to see Ford watching him. He frowns a little. "What?"  
"Nothing," is his twin's reply, as he smiles knowingly.  
"That smile doesn't scream 'nothing' to me," he mutters, but then starts working to get the fire lit and going.  
"It's just..." Ford pauses, then continues. "It's really nice to see you happy, you know? You're always smiling when the kids are here, it's great. Makes me happy."

Stan stares at him. "That is...incredibly sappy coming from you."  
"Perhaps..." His eyes trail over to the two teens, now splashing each other and throwing stones to see which one can make a bigger splash. "I feel the same, I guess. I'd do anything for them. And you."

"Stop it Sixer, I'm gonna vomit."  
Ford just laughs and returns to erecting the tent in front of him.

Lunchtime sees them all sitting around the firepit, laughing, eating hotdogs and potato chips and telling stories about their more mundane adventures during the year they were apart. Well, its mundane for Dipper and Mabel, Stan and Ford were out doing real adventuring, treasure hunting, and monster fighting. The younger twins sit spellbound and listen to Stan retell the tales of their trip, albeit with quite a few embellishments and quiet corrections from Ford, and then when the latter gets up to get back to tackling the tent construction, Mabel hops up and offers to help.

Dipper sips his Pitt cola and watches her pick up a pole and inquire as to where it goes, and when Ford shows her, she laughs. "That's surprisingly simple! There's too many poles, makes everything confusing!"

Stan watches Dipper a moment, and then clears his throat, asking something that'd been on his mind for a while. "How are you doing, by the way?"  
Dipper takes another sip of his drink and then lowers it. "Pretty good, actually. I'm on… medication, but it's good, it helps. Mabel too, I have to remind her every night to take hers, or she'll forget... How are you?"

Stan lifts a hand and taps a finger to his temple. "I'd say I'm 90% of the way fixed. I'm glad you two aren't having a hard time after...all that."  
"Yeah, likewise? It's good you're almost back to normal! We were...really worried."  
Stanley nods, but then leans forward and holds up his cola as well, in a toast. He smiles and holds it out. "Here's to getting better."  
Dipper laughs and does the same. “To moving on.”  
The cans clink together with a soft metallic sound and then they both drink.

"Is this right?"  
"That looks about right, yes, good job!"  
"BOOYAH, I'm a tent making MASTER!"  
"Well then, tent master, can you hammer these stakes in the ground so it stays put?"  
"I'm on it!"  
Mabel lines up the stakes in the ground and then brings the hammer down on them one by one. The last one goes in crooked. "Drat, it's bent..."  
Ford looks over her handiwork. "It's not an issue, Mabel, they're all pretty perfect. Now, who wants to go on a nature walk?"

Even Grunkle Stan joins them on the walk, and it's really quite pleasant and peaceful, at least in Dipper's eyes. Mabel is too caught up in her quest to catch frogs and cool bugs to take in the atmosphere, but Dipper can appreciate just how much he missed the wild quiet of the forest surrounding Gravity Falls. Even without the crazy things that happened two summers ago, he'd still love it there.

The walk is uneventful, it's almost like the forest is ...normal, at least in the spot Ford had chosen. Maybe that was the entire reason.  
They return after a few hours of hiking to the campsite and then play board games on blankets and drink juice until the shadows get long. Then the fire's light gets brighter, and they all draw nearer for sloppy brown meat sandwiches and smores. After that, it's time for the aforementioned 'mildly spooky stories' in the book Mabel brought.

The sparks of the fire fly skyward, bright and glowing red against the backdrop of the millions of twinkling stars shining down from above. As the fire starts to burn low, Mabel is staring sleepily into the dancing flames and Dipper is finishing off another smore. Ford is also gazing into the fire, the light reflected in his glasses. It's quiet, but not in an uncomfortable way.  
Stan stretches and then looks around at them all. "Alright, alright, its bedtime for you two. You especially, Dipper, you have to get up early to join Ford on his....mystery creature research."

Dipper nods, even though he's not really that tired, but Stan has a point. "Goodnight, Grunkle Stan, Great Uncle Ford. C'mon Mabes..." He rouses his sister, who yawns and then sort of leans on him all the way to their tent.

When the zipper zips up behind them, Stan exhales. "Good kids. So tell me again what your plan is for tomorrow?"  
Ford pokes at the embers of the fire with a stick. "We'll be going three hours into the mountains, to track down the Plaidypi and document their nesting habits. We'll stop for lunch and then investigate the area for Cowl activity. We'll be back around 7 PM."  
Stan nods. "You're taking one of your fancy space guns, right? Just in case?"  
"Yes. No harm will come to Dipper under my watch. You can trust me, Stanley, I do know what I'm doing."  
"Right, right, your twelve PhDs and all that. I just had to be double sure."  
"I understand." He looks at his brother's face cast in light and shadow from the dying fire. "I'm glad we did this."  
Stan chuckles, his glasses reflecting the firelight. "Yeah, me too."


	2. First Quarter

The next morning, Ford rouses a very groggy Dipper, but the moment he's scarfed down the plate of instant eggs that was for breakfast and had some Mabel-juice to wash it down (he wouldn't mix those two things again for any love or money) he's decidedly more awake.  
Mabel and Stan were still sleeping, it wasn't even dawn when they set out, but Dipper happily keeps pace with his much taller uncle, staying quiet even though he had many questions. He still didn't know what they were going to research. As the sky lit up with the pinks and purples of dawn, the birds of the forest woke from their slumber and filled the silence with many different and harmonious songs.

After about fifteen or so minutes of walking, Ford suddenly stops, stretches, and lets out a contented sigh. "That should be far enough."  
Dipper is more than a little confused. "Um… what do you mean?"  
"We're far enough away from the campsite. I can tell you what we're going to be doing now."  
He smiles, but Dipper is still lost, though he tries to act like he's in the know. "Oh, heh… yeah!"  
"Dipper," Ford's voice gets a bit more serious. "What we're going to be researching today is dangerous, but you're fifteen now, I believe you can handle it, or I wouldn't have brought you with me. Understand?"  
Dipper nods, his heart suddenly beating faster. "O-Of course! You can count on me."  
"Good boy. Alright, now I heard recent tales that suggest there's a werewolf pack taking up residence in this part of the forest."

Dipper's jaw drops in amazement, and he has trouble shutting it. "W-Werewolves?!" His voice is embarrassingly squeaky.  
Ford just gives him a grin. "Werewolves, Dipper. I've heard of them, never seen them myself, but I know what to expect, so if you do exactly as I say, all will be well."  
Dipper swallows, suddenly overcome with nerves. "What.... exactly are we going to be doing?"  
Ford checks to make sure his gun is securely in its holster. "We're sneaking into their den, of course."

\---  
Dipper has… several misgivings, to say the least, but Ford seems perfectly fine with the idea of descending into a cave full of man-eating wolf monsters, so he bites his tongue. "Aren't they....bloodthirsty monsters?"

"That's the thing, they're not usually a danger to humans until they're cornered or provoked; in fact, they're not really classified as 'monsters' because, for most of the month, they’re intelligent, thoughtful creatures. I've been led to believe that at least the ones in the general area are. Its only as the new moon approaches that they get truly dangerous. Right now, at this point in time..."  
He checks the device on his wrist. "We are square in the waxing crescent phase of the moon cycle, so they'll be anthropomorphized canids at this stage. Perfectly harmless, as long as we don't wake them up."  
He gives Dipper a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Dipper. You won't be entering their den. You just need to hold the flashlight while I get some fur."

Dipper has questions, so many questions, but Ford has started walking again, and so he moves to keep up, holding onto the straps of his backpack. "Um... Great uncle Ford?"  
"Yes?"  
"What do you need werewolf fur for?"  
Ford smiles again. "A good question! I'm tinkering with the idea of making a cure. I don't know if the werewolf clan that lives here will want it, but it would be nice to have on hand in case anyone we know is bitten."

That makes sense, Dipper concludes and then satisfied with that for now, he walks along with his uncle in silence for a while. In fact its Ford that stops first, putting out a hand to prevent Dipper from passing him.   
"Wait," he says softly, setting his backpack down and moving forwards cautiously towards some bushes up ahead. He crouches down and peers through them, and Dipper's heart starts to pound. What did he see? What's out there? He wants to ask, but… what if it's dangerous?

"Dipper," Ford whispers, motioning him forwards. "Come see."  
He turns back to the bushes, and Dipper joins him. "What is it?"  
"Shh, just look."

When he looks through the hole in the bushes he's not sure what he's seeing, but he watches anyway. There's a big furry ball on the rocks several feet away, it's brown and orange and white. As he watches, it uncurls to reveal a long weasel-like creature with a round face and two big fluffy tails. It was hiding two smaller kits that yawn and then start tottering around. Each kit only has one tail.

"The two-tailed pine marten. Not so much an anomaly as a genetic mutation, but isn't she magnificent?"

Dipper exhales, watching the morning sun glitter off the pine marten's fur as it shakes the dew off and has to agree. Silently, the creature lifts its tails and starts walking off through the trees, her babies bounding after her. And then they're gone.   
"Wow," he breathes, looking over at Ford with a grin. The older man returns it and then stands, offering him his hand. "Wow indeed. I’ve never seen one on the ground before, they’re usually arboreal animals.”

Dipper stares at Ford's hand for a while but then takes it. His heart is beating a little faster than normal and he’s not exactly sure why. Good thing his Great-Uncle can't hear it...

Ford checks his watch. "Ten thirty-five. We're making excellent time, we'll have that fur sample and be back well before supper at this rate!"  
Buoyed by that thought, Dipper sets his anxieties aside. Ford knows what he’s doing. He always does. He just has to trust him.

The werewolf den turns out to be partially up a mountain. Ford has no problem with the terrain, but Dipper struggles, his legs and then his lungs burning after a while. Three-quarters of the way up, he has to stop.  
"Gr... hah... ...Uncle Ford?"  
He slows and places his hands on his sides, bending over slightly to take a breather. There's a light clatter of rocks and then Ford is there, his hand on his back. "Dipper, you really should learn to pace yourself. Come, let's sit, take it easy for a moment, get your breath back.”  
Dipper looks up at him and then frowns at the inclined slope, nothing but pebbles and scrub. "Hah… but there's...there's nowhere to sit...?"  
Ford frowns, looking around too and then shrugs off his backpack. "Hm... Wait, I have it."  
He drops it to the ground and then kneels, positioning himself so he'll be comfortable and balanced on the loose gravel. He looks up at Dipper and then pats his upturned knee with one hand. "You can sit on me."

Dipper's eyes widen, the barest flush creeping over his cheeks. "Whaa? G-Great-Uncle Ford, I couldn't!"  
Ford raises an eyebrow and sighs patiently. "Look, Dipper, you need to rest. If you approach a cave full of supernatural creatures with enhanced senses huffing and puffing like a steam locomotive, they're going to know you're there. I was hoping this could be a very quick trip. Running from angry werewolves isn't in the plan." He pats his knee again, insistent. 

Dipper bites his lip, hesitant, but then walks over and takes a seat. The position brings him...very close to Ford, and sets his heart thumping again. He REALLY hopes his grunkle can't hear it.

"That's better. Now relax, and breathe."

Ford would be lying to himself if he said he didn't enjoy having Dipper so close. The boy was full of the same curiosity, the same drive to discover, to uncover, to learn as he was, and It was refreshing. It was exhilarating, seeing his eyes light up after he'd solved some tough problem, or the way his expression changes when he’s intently listening to him explain things or just speak -like there was nothing more important than he was. It fed his ego if he was perfectly honest.

He considered Dipper more than just his nephew, he considered him his protege, and even though he knew Dipper's thoughts on staying in Gravity Falls full time, he still, perhaps selfishly- wanted to show him everything, everything that the forest and the town and the state even had to offer, just to tempt him. To him, it was all things he'd seen before, experienced before..but to Dipper... it might be the one thing that tips him over the edge and changes his mind.

Ford was a good person, at least, he liked to think so, but something about Dipper got him going... sometimes more than in the intellectual sense.  
He wanted to keep him nearby, he wanted to spend hours with him. He wanted to touch and guide him. He wanted to be there to watch him grow.  
He would never hurt him, never, he'd rather die; but he couldn't deny that sometimes when he was alone, his thoughts turned untoward. There was just something about him that Ford wanted, in all the ways that mattered. 

"When you're ready, we'll continue on, alright?"  
His hand laying ever so innocently against Dipper's back. To support him, nothing more.  
Dipper smiles gratefully, still a little embarrassed, but relaxing.

After he had rested enough and caught his breath, Dipper moves to get up, and Ford doesn't stop him. "Ready to continue on our expedition?" He just asks, getting to his feet as well, pulling up the backpack.  
"Yeah!"

And so they continued on.

The sky is slightly overcast when Ford holds up a hand to stop Dipper from going any further. "Wait." His voice is lowered, tense.  
Dipper nods and goes still, looking up towards where the incline levels off. Ford listens for a moment and then starts to creep up it. At the top, he crouches low and motions for his nephew to follow. Dipper does, trying not to make any sound because, in the quiet, he can hear snoring noises coming from above the little outcrop he's on. They've arrived.

The mouth of the cave yawns before them, made of grey stone and dark slate. The gravel is worn down from being stepped on and there are… bones; broken, gnawed on, splintered chunks of bone scattered around the entrance.  
Dipper swallows. "So I just st-stay out here?" His voice is small, uneasy, and barely above a whisper. Ford kneels in front of him again. "Yes, you don't have to go in, just stay out of sight, wait for my return, alright?"  
He waits until Dipper nods wordlessly and then tousles his hair. "That's my boy."

Ford pulls something out of his backpack, a pair of gold bladed scissors. He smiles when he notices Dipper’s quizzical expression. "Bringing silver up here would have been a terrible idea." And then he turns for the cave opening.

Dipper carries the backpack with him over to a vertically jutting rock and moves behind it, peeking out. Ford is watching, and silently, he gives him a thumbs up. Dipper returns it, and with his heart in his throat, he watches his Great-Uncle disappear into the cavern.

He waits… and waits, with bated breath and tense shoulders, for the soft crunch of boots on gravel, or worse, the angry roars of awakened werewolves, but after a while, there's nothing and so he peeks around the rock again to watch the empty cave entrance. After about ten more minutes he sees movement and quickly ducks out of sight, heart pounding; but then, the noise of Ford's boots gets closer and closer until he looks over the top of the rock down at Dipper and then joins him.

"H-How'd it go?" 

Ford frowns and then shakes his head. "Not good. They're sleeping in groups and haphazardly all over the floor and there's a minefield of bones separating their eating and sleeping spaces. I can't get near them, I'm too big, they'll hear me coming."  
He taps his chin. "There must be another way… but how? Maybe if I set a trap farther down the mountain-?”  
He rambles on and Dipper listens, knowing that Ford will come up with a plan, easy. But after ten more minutes of mumbling, the older man lets out a sigh. "It's useless. I don't think we'll be able to get the fur today. I’ll probably have to approach one on its own and just ask, but goodness knows how that will go…” He pulls off his glasses and rubs at the bridge of his nose with one hand.  
Dipper hesitates, opens his mouth, then closes it. After a moment of silence, he clears his throat and then speaks up, mortified that his voice is so unsteady. "What if... I tried?"  
Ford's reaction is immediate, turning to look at him with a stony expression. "Absolutely not." His tone of voice is so firm Dipper flinches a little and then looks down, feeling like he did something wrong.  
His uncle's next words are softer but still serious. "I wouldn't ever put you in that kind of danger, Dipper."  
Dipper raises his head. "But I'm small and fast, and light on my feet, and… I could do it.”  
He's not sure why he's trying so hard to convince Ford to let him venture into a cave full of sleeping werewolves and cut some of their furs, but he's not backing down now. "Please, Great-Uncle, we came all this way. We're so close."  
Ford's mouth is somewhat of a hard line, but he's listening, and that's all Dipper needs. He forges on. "You keep saying I have to get more experience," he hazards, and Ford deadpans. "This isn't what I meant and you know it."

And then Dipper drops the bomb. "Don't you think I can do it?"  
Ford's eyes widen, staring down into Dipper's deep brown ones, so full of emotion and the desire to make him proud. Those eyes that are his weakness.  
He relents, still frowning, then sighs. "Very well, you can try and get the fur. But you're not going in alone. I promised Stanley I’d make sure you were safe. I’ll be going with you.”  
Dipper nods, his stomach squirming with nerves. He has a chance to prove himself capable of accompanying Ford on more adventures if he pulls this off. He can’t screw up.  
"Okay," he says quietly. Ford hesitates, then passes him the scissors. They're surprisingly heavy.

Ford goes first, checking to make sure the werewolves are still snoozing. They are, so he motions Dipper forwards. He rests his hands on his shoulders and looks at him seriously. "Dipper. If you don't get the fur, I'm not going to be disappointed. Sometimes, the best course of action is to retreat and rethink your original plan. You don’t have to do this.”

Dipper's heart thuds but he just smiles, speaking through his dry mouth. "I'll get it. Just wait, I'll be back in a second."  
Ford lets his hands slide off his shoulders, and just follows him silently.

The cave is cool and the air is still, and Dipper clutches the scissors with a white knuckle grip, stepping as lightly as he possibly can. He walks deeper, avoiding stepping on any of the bones strewn across the floor. In front of him, he sees many large, Jeez they're large, lumps of slowly breathing fur, wolves four times his size curled up alone, or in piles, sleeping the day away.  
He tries not to think of how big their teeth are as he tiptoes around them. Finally, he spots one with longer fur and approaches carefully. Its ears don't even twitch, so he kneels next to its evenly heaving bulk and lifts the scissors.

This is easy, he thinks, carefully opening them. Look at me, I'm in a werewolf den and I've got this, I've really really got this! Ford will have to take me with him more often for sure. All he needs is a little fur...

Snip.  
The sound is surprisingly loud, at least to him. His heart stops for a span of terrifying seconds, but nothing happens, so he breathes a sigh of relief and moves back on his heels. Now to get back to Ford and get the heck out of there...

And that's when he hears the low, sleepy growl behind him.  
\----  
Ford wasn't sure about this, not at all, but Dipper had been adamant, and had cornered him, played to weaknesses he didn't even realize the man had. Did he think the boy was capable of handling it? Yes. Did he want him, handling it? Gods, no.  
But as he watches by the edge of the bone filled floor, watches Dipper creep between the werewolves, he had to admit, his nephew was doing incredibly well. As he hears the quiet snip of the scissors he‘s flooded with relief, followed by a rush of pride. Dipper actually did it, and he couldn’t be more proud at that moment. He’d make a fine adventurer.

But that's the moment it all goes horribly, horribly wrong. Ford sees the movement, the stirring, the sleepy werewolf behind Dipper raise its head and hears the growl, and his heart all but stops, all his planning thrown right out the window, and then he’s running forwards with only one thought in his head.

Dipper swallows, frozen as the growl gets louder, more insistent, the hulk of fur bristling, its teeth baring, long and sharp and shiny and wet as it rises, taking a single step towards him, and then something slams into it and knocks it over into a pile of its brethren. Dipper’s heart catches in his throat and he cries out. “Ford!!”

 

Ford roughly pins the wolf down, and its yelping quickly wakes the ones that are still slumbering. A chorus of snarling fills the air.

"RUN, DIPPER! RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN- AND DON'T STOP!"  
Ford sinks his fist into the side of a wolf’s muzzle as it tried to attack him and sends it rearing back, yelping in pain.  
The werewolves were awake, and they were angry. The space was suddenly filled with hulking bodies and bristled tails and sharp, sharp teeth. It was not a safe place to be.   
Dipper dives to the side, landing painfully on hard, jagged bone as a pack member lunges for him and misses, jaws agape, fangs flashing wetly. The cave is full of bodies, but he can’t see Ford anymore.  
The sounds of howling fill the air, and he scrambles up and runs like his life depends on it- which it does. He snatches up the backpack and its momentum aids him in his flight.  
He doesn't stop until his lungs are burning and he can't breathe anymore until the green of the forest swallows him up at the base of the mountain.

And then alone, he starts to panic. He can still hear the wolves howling, but it’s so much fainter now.  
He almost collapses, stumbling over a root poking out of the ground.  
How could he have left Ford like that?! He was supposed to be heroic! What if they ate him?!  
The crack of a branch nearby makes him jump, heart, hammering painfully. His side aches from being bruised by those bones, and all his muscles are shaking from overexertion.  
He hides at the base of a tree, in between the roots, as the cracking gives way to slight crashing- and then after a moment, a figure staggers into the clearing. It's human. It's Ford.  
Dipper lets out a wordless cry and pulls himself from his hiding spot and runs over to him, grabbing him around the middle in a tight hug.  
"Dipper?!" Ford’s voice is shocked as he grabs at whatever was attacking him but then he calms. "Thank goodness you're safe."  
He wraps one arm around the shaking boy and leads him to the tree again, helping him sit.  
He looks terrible, there are scrapes on his jaw and a cut on his cheek smeared with blood, his coat is slightly ragged, there are slashes through his sweater and he's holding one arm to his chest, which is soaked in blood. Even so, his brown eyes are full of concern.  
"Are you alright?"  
He begins an examination of him with his good arm, making sure he isn’t bleeding or there are any bones broken.

Dipper just stares, eyes wide and horrified at the state his beloved mentor is in. "You're h-hurt!”  
"Not too severely,” he reassures the trembling teen. “Their bark is definitely worse than their bite!" Ford's joke doesn't seem to make matters any better, because suddenly Dipper's eyes fill with tears.   
His own eyes widen, and he's quick to pull the boy into a hug with his good arm. "Hey, hey," he soothes, hearing his nephew's breath hitch and sob. "It's okay, we're both okay."  
Dipper lets out an anguished wail as he pulls back, grabbing onto Ford's sleeve and pulling the arm to him, resulting in a groan of pain and a wince. “Careful…”

"Y-You were BITTEN?!"  
His voice climbs about four octaves.  
Ford looks at his arm, face registering surprise. "Oh. Look at that, it appears I was."  
"AAAAAAAAAHH!!"  
He snaps his attention back to Dipper, who is thoroughly freaking out and grabs him by the shoulder. "Dipper, Dipper! Calm down! This isn't as bad as it looks-"  
"ISN'T AS BAD?! YOU'RE GOING TO TURN INTO A WEREWOLF AND ITS ALL MY FAULT!!!"  
Dipper's wails echo off the trees.  
"DIPPER!" Ford's gruff tone catches his attention, and he stops screaming, chest heaving wildly for breath. Ford stares him dead on.  
"Listen to me. This is reversible. I can reverse it, we can reverse it."

Dipper lets out a whimper, but Ford continues on. "We have a month to mix up a cure, we have time, I'm going to be just fine. None of this is your fault."  
Dipper's tears leak down his face again but this time his voice remains at an acceptable level. "I sh-should have listened..."

"Dipper you did exceptionally well give the circumstances, and I'm extremely proud of you. You were strong in the face of danger, and you ran like the wind when I told you to.. But you need to be strong again and listen to me. We're going to fix this. Together. You and me."

Dipper sniffles. "...Okay..."  
"Good boy."  
He starts to shrug out of his coat carefully, wincing in pain. "Those werewolves don’t pull their punches."

"Ah!" Dipper jolts up, heart sinking. "I dropped the fur! I dropped the fur and you got bitten, this was a complete waste of time!"

Ford chuckles. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."  
He holds out his injured arm towards Dipper and opens his fingers. There, in the palm of his six-fingered hand, is a sizeable tuft of reddish brown fur. "It was quite a brawl, but I think this will do us quite nicely.”  
"You got it?!" Dipper, though still teary, breaks into an astonished smile.  
Ford's face, although a bit worse for wear, answers it. "I did indeed."


End file.
